Top 10 Costliest Software Bugs

These software bugs drained billions in less than 60 seconds because one person made a mistake when writing the superscripts.

1. Mars Climate Orbiter Crashes

The contractor who was given the responsibility of planning the navigation system got the specifications from NASA but instead of using the metric system, he carried out measurements using imperial units. What happened was that the space craft crashed into Mars and over 125 million dollars were lost.

2. Ariane 5 Flight 501

The engine of this satellite was much faster than that of the previous models but it had a software bug that went unnoticed. The satellite was launched and after 36.7 seconds, it self destructed and turned into a magnificent ball of fire. While the satellite’s cost was estimated at 8 billion dollars, it was also carrying payload worth 500 million dollars when it disintegrated.

3. EDS Fails Child Support

About 6 years back, EDS created an IT system that was quite complex and presented it to the CSA or the Child Support Agency in U.K. The software was not compatible with the restructure initiated by the DWP which caused many errors. The cost has been estimated at 1 billion dollars till date.

4. Soviet Gas Pipeline Explosion

In 1982, the CIA claimed that the Soviet Union was in the process of stealing important U.S. technology. The CIA then introduced a software bug into the system which would work in such a way that while it would not allow operation to be carried out, it would go through inspection without any problems. The explosion that followed will never be forgotten.

5. Black Monday

In 1987, certain investigation caused the bull market to come to screeching halt. The investigation affected certain stocks whose investors decided to dump them. The computer triggers were kicked into motion which destroyed certain systems. The market value fell rapidly and there was no choice but to liquidate the stocks.